Not Meant to Be
by WeaverGoddess
Summary: No matter how how hard she tried, she just wasn't good enough. Oneshot, and probably not what you're expecting. ;


The sun made its way down the horizon, leaving a trail or orange, rose and finally, soft indigo in its wake. The stars roused from their day-long slumber, twinkling over the chilly streets of Karakura Town. In spite of the crisp air, the residents of the city were out en force, eating, drinking, slurring out drunken tunes at karaoke bars, and enjoying a carefree Saturday evening. Among the crowds of revelers walked a lone woman with long auburn hair, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she shivered slightly in her blue peacoat. She made her way through the crowd, entranced by their antics and the pure joy they had in spending time with their companions. Yet at the same time, it made her feel so empty. She had much in her life to be thankful for, but tonight... tonight made her realize how truly inadequate she was.

Orihime suppressed the tears that threatened to crest over her lower eyelids as she made her way to the park across from the busy street. It was empty and quiet. She sat down on a lonely swing and looked up at the darkening sky.

_He was everything I'd ever hoped for... What happened?..._

The thought reverberated through her brain before she had a chance to fight it off and at last Orihime broke down. She couldn't keep the tears in any longer. There had been so much promise with him but it had fallen apart in her hands. She simply wasn't the one, and that realization hit her like a giant killer tomato from that movie she'd seen last week.

_I've worked so hard and honed my skills... everyone can see how much I've improved. But... but..._

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. She knew that now. And when she saw Rukia tomorrow afternoon, she would put on her brave face and make herself move forward. They were close friends, after all. And that's what mattered most.

_Well, there's no point in me sobbing over this in the middle of the park. I'd better go home._

The walk home gave her a little solace, but as she entered her spacious apartment her heart fell again. It was as empty as she felt.

_Pull yourself together already! You can do this!_

She went into the kitchen, which remained as big a mess as it was when she left it. She rinsed out the mixing bowl and set it on the counter. The tears caught her off guard as she stared at it. Once again, she was unable to hold back.

The front door opened.

"I'm home!"

Instead of being greeted by his wife's enthusiastic bear hug, the first sounds Ichigo heard upon entering the room were her sobs.

"Orihime?"

He ran to the kitchen to find her sulking on the floor with her back to him, her body trembling.

"Orihime! ORIHIME! Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

His shouts startled Orihime and she turned to face her husband with wide eyes.

"Ichigo? I thought you were working late tonight.."

"We were overstaffed. What the hell is going on?" Ichigo asked as he looked at the disaster that was their kitchen. "It looks like a bomb went off in here."

Orihime's eyes welled up with tears once again and she clung to Ichigo's blazer as she sobbed.

"I'm such a failure!" she wailed."He was so perfect. He was everything I could have asked for but.."

"He?" Ichigo asked, thoroughly confused.

"Wakame Ambassador!" Orihime wailed as she pointed to a mountainous blob of cake that sat on their stove top. "Kuchiki-san commissioned me to make a giant Wakame Ambassador cake for Byakuya-san's birthday next week. But I didn't reinforce it the way I should have and the shape came out all wrong. And Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun are coming tomorrow to pick it up. I'm... I'm just not the right person for this job!"

Ichigo stroked his wife's hair as she cried into his chest. _Oh boy..._

"Orihime, you run the most popular bakery in Karakura. So what if the cake didn't come out the way you wanted? That doesn't make you a failure."

Red-rimmed brown eyes softened as they met his. Orihime lowered her head.

"I'm acting pretty silly, aren't I?" she said softly. "It's just.. making a cake for Byakuya-san's birthday is such an honor. I wanted it to be perfect."

Ichigo sighed. Leaving his wife's embrace, he went over to the wall where she kept her aprons. He grimaced as he pulled the the frilly yellow fabric over his head.

"This doesn't leave the kitchen." he said with a scowl and a grin. Orihime giggled. Ichigo walked over to the misshapen cake.

"What do you need me to do?"

Orihime looked at him gratefully.

"Well, I guess it isn't as big of a disaster as I thought it was. Maybe we can trim the edges and reshape it with icing."

"You're the boss."

Ichigo watched as Orihime took off her peacoat and pulled on her apron, running a hand over her slightly swollen abdomen. The child in her womb filled him with pride, but then Ichigo realized that Orihime was only three months along and the hormones were already in full swing.

_Forget hollows. How am I going to survive six more months of _this_?_

What can I say? I was in the mood for a bit of a parody. XD

And for those who weren't aware, there is a movie called "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". It's totally campy and is the type of horror flick I could picture Orihime watching.

Hope you enjoyed. :)


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